Global climate talks to be held in Copenhagen got a big boost over the weekend when leaders representing a third of the planet’s population put their full weight behind sealing a deal.
The heads of government of the 53-nation Commonwealth announced on Saturday that a legally binding climate accord was “essential” and they backed the Dec. 7 to Dec. 18 Copenhagen negotiations called to draft a successor treaty to the Kyoto Protocol.
The Commonwealth Climate Change Declaration, issued mid-way through a three-day summit in Trinidad, also hailed moves promoted by Britain and France to establish a US$10 billion fund to help offset the cost to poor countries that cut carbon output.
That financing offer, combined with greenhouse gas emission cuts announced over the past two weeks by most of the world’s biggest polluting nations, prompted leaders to swap skepticism for optimism.
“I remain fully convinced that it will be possible to reach an agreement in Copenhagen,” Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen, who will host the talks, said in Trinidad, where he was a special guest.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he believed there was momentum for a deal, but he cautioned that it was not yet certain that a treaty would emerge from Copenhagen.
“We are united in purpose, we are not yet united in action,” he said, urging world leaders “to stay focused, stay committed and come to Copenhagen.”
“We, as the Commonwealth, representing one-third of the world’s population, believe the time for action on climate change has come,” Australian Prime Minister Rudd said as he unveiled the Commonwealth agreement.
“We believe the political goodwill and resolve exists to secure a comprehensive agreement at Copenhagen,” he said.
China, the US, the EU and Brazil have all announced greenhouse gas emission reduction targets designed to contain the level of global warming. India remains the only big polluter still to declare its target, though Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised on Saturday it would be unveiled soon and would be “ambitious.”
For all the political determination and talk of consensus, however, there were several points of contention at the Commonweath meeting that could prove divisive in Copenhagen.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued a sea alert for Typhoon Fung-wong (鳳凰) as it threatened vessels operating in waters off the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), the Bashi Channel and south of the Taiwan Strait. A land alert is expected to be announced some time between late last night and early this morning, the CWA said. As of press time last night, Taoyuan, as well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties had declared today a typhoon day, canceling work and classes. Except for a few select districts in Taipei and New Taipei City, all other areas and city
VIOLATION OF NORMS: China’s CCTV broadcast claimed that Beijing could use Interpol to issue arrest warrants, which the MAC slammed as an affront to order The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for attempts to intimidate Taiwanese through “transnational repression.” The council issued the remarks after state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) yesterday during a news broadcast aired a video targeting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋), threatening him with “cross-border repression” and saying: “Stop now, or you will be next,” in what Taipei officials said was an attempt to intimidate not only Shen, but also the broader Taiwanese public. The MAC in a statement condemned the threat, accusing Beijing of trying to instill fear and self-censorship among Taiwanese and
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